The 2018

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup, also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', was an annual knockout competition in men's football in Ireland. It was contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited clubs from the lower levels of the Irish footb ...

, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2018 EA Sports Cup, was the 45th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League

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and

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Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams. Derry City won the cup for a record 11th time.

Teams

''Clubs denoted with * received a bye into Second round''

First round

All teams were divided into four pools based on geographical location. Two random teams per pool received a bye into the second round. The draw for the first round took place on 9 February 2018. Ties were scheduled to begin on 5 March 2018 but were subsequently postponed due to the aftermath of extreme weather from a

cold wave A cold wave (known in some regions as a cold snap, cold spell or Arctic Snap) is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temp ...

known as the

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combined with Storm Emma. Rescheduled ties were set for various dates across March and April 2018.

Second round

The draw for the Second round took place on 22 March 2018 and was made on a regional pool basis. Ties were scheduled for Easter Monday 2 April 2018. Four second round fixtures were postponed due to heavy rainfall causing unplayable pitches. Rearranged fixtures were set for 9 April, 23 April and 24 April.

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 10 April 2018 and was an open draw, unlike previous rounds which were drawn on a geographic pooled basis. Ties are due to be played on 7/8 May 2018.

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals of the 2018 EA Sports Cup was made on 13 May 2018. Both ties were played on 6 August 2018.

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

The final of the League of Ireland Cup took place on 16 September 2018. Home advantage was decided by a coin toss, which Derry City won.

References

EA Sports Cup first round draw courtesy of '' sseairtricityleague.ie''

First round draw postponements courtesy of '' extratime.ie''

EA Sports Cup second round draw courtesy of '' extratime.ie''

Second round postponements courtesy of ''irishmirror.ie''

Quarter-final draw courtesy of '' sseairtricityleague.ie''

Semi-final draw courtesy of '' fai.ie'' {{2018–19 in European football (UEFA) 2018 League of Ireland, Cup 3 League of Ireland Cup seasons